Morales defends Bolivians right to chew coca leaves at UN anti-drugs meeting

Tuesday, March 13th 2012 - 00:58 UTC

Full article 13 comments

Bolivian President Evo Morales defended Bolivians' right to chew coca leaves, the main ingredient of cocaine, on Monday, saying it was an ancient tradition and the world's No. 3 cocaine producer was working to fight drug trafficking. Read full article

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Stefan
Opium was a pretty old tradition in China. Jesus, maybe Morales needs to stop chewing these leaves like some sort of fat Koala and focus more on what a joke Bolivia is on the world stage. Perhaps our good friend Evo wants to hand out coca leaves so that the native Bolivians won't notice him demolishing the rainforest to build his mega-highway. Who knows? They might not even hear the thundering tracks of Chavez' tanks as they roll on through on their way to help KFC expand his puppet territories.
Mar 13th, 2012 - 02:39 am - Link - Report abuse 0
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Dr Carrizal
Opium, ekshilly, wasn't ever a tradition in China. It was an addiction, and forced on them by the Brits as the only currency they would pay the Chinese for the silk, tea, etc, they took out of the country. Poor Chinese merchants had to sell it to their own people to get their money back, ahhh - it's a hard life...
Mar 13th, 2012 - 10:31 am - Link - Report abuse 0
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Ozgood
Surely the Bolivians do not abuse the substane but need it to keep going in the very high altitudes of Bolivia.
Mar 13th, 2012 - 11:04 am - Link - Report abuse 0
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GreekYoghurt
@2 HAHAHA more Argentinian historical revisionism!! The Chinese have been smoking opium since 300-400AD where they had absolutely no contact with the British at this time. The tradition of smoking opium existed since that point, and the British just made access to it a lot easier and cheaper by opening the market.

Can you Argies please stop trying to be deceptive, it doesn't work.

@3 Yes and they need a crack-pipe too, and some crystal-meth
Mar 13th, 2012 - 11:13 am - Link - Report abuse 0
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Dr Carrizal
Damn! A few months ago RGs were calling me Chilean, now Brits (?) are calling me an RG. Although neither is true, I far prefer the former... A quick look around and I see that Opium was indeed known in China in the C10th, but that its addictive properties were not recognised until the C17th. Prior to that it was enjoyed by the rich on a small basis. I would still hesitate before calling it a tradition.
Mar 13th, 2012 - 03:38 pm - Link - Report abuse 0
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ChrisR
The Bolivians seem to be a country who denies the fact that the leaf is cocaine 'enfant' and therefore a drug.

No wonder this ex-farmer drug dealer licks the Mad Bitches arse, they are two of a kind: grand deniers.
Mar 13th, 2012 - 04:40 pm - Link - Report abuse 0
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briton
oh dear,
the brits in trouble again,
mind you was it our fault the romans got there feet wet on brighton beach??as we didnt tell them the sea was wet lol.
Mar 13th, 2012 - 06:31 pm - Link - Report abuse 0
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GreekYoghurt
“Bolivia, the biggest cocaine producer after Peru and Colombia, has been trying to promote coca's health benefits and develop legal uses for coca leaves.”

Only in South America is cocaine healthy.
Mar 13th, 2012 - 10:54 pm - Link - Report abuse 0
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Conqueror
“Bolivia, the biggest cocaine producer after Peru and Colombia” Drug producers. National criminals. A country of low-lifes. To be removed from UN. No external travel. All exports banned.
Mar 14th, 2012 - 02:14 pm - Link - Report abuse 0
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Martin Woodhead
FFs you could buy cocaine and heroin in Harrods before WW1.
The whole war on drugs has been a disaster.
Even crack cocaine if it wasn't illegal would be a much less of a problem.
the opium wars has to be a low point for the empire.
Mar 14th, 2012 - 04:51 pm - Link - Report abuse 0
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Ozgood
Do any of the readers know that Dr Sigmund Freud, one of the founders of psychiatry was a cocaine user?

He had cancer of the jaw - hence the beard - and used the leaf for pain
Mar 14th, 2012 - 07:05 pm - Link - Report abuse 0
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Stefan
Singapore and Japan have very low drug crime rates because they don't tolerate it at all. The USA is never going to win the drug war unless we get tough on dealers and drug mules. If we aren't willing to do that, then we might as well legalize it all. Drugs cannot be solved with a middle option.

What I am overjoyed to hear is that popular politicians in the Netherlands may want to reverse their policies and get tough on substance abuse. I have many Dutch friends who are sick of their country being associated with drugs and prostitution. The country is known for little else, so that reputation can be extremely demeaning to people who have a very proud history.
Mar 14th, 2012 - 09:54 pm - Link - Report abuse 0
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Frank
@12 'The country is known for little else'
Tulips? Boring cheese(but not as bad as Chilean.... )? Fido Dido? ...
Mar 16th, 2012 - 07:37 am - Link - Report abuse 0
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